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I wanted to explore that as it pertains to your business, with a slightly different slant. I wonder if you, like so many of my clients, and myself as well from time to time, are so hooked into the future that we’re missing the NOW and not fully enjoying the journey?

So how do we unhook from it to allow what we truly want to come to pass without always feeling like we’re striving for it? Here are 5 ideas:

1. Let go of the goals that take you away from the present.

Let me say first that you can have everything you want – and there’s no judgement here on what those things are.

That being said, do you want a mansion, to be the #1 speaker in your market, to be the one with the biggest email list in your market, to be a New York Times bestselling author, to make a million dollars? There’s nothing wrong with any of those lofty (and completely attainable) goals.

And, what happens is when we’re so focused on the sexy dream we tend to get ourselves so riled up about getting there that we miss all the amazing stuff happening NOW.

What I’ve noticed is that people get impatient, sad, frustrated, and even angry when they’re so focused on the future goal that the present seems uninteresting at best, despairing at worst. The antidote? See #2.

2. Polish the present

I want to encourage you to stop striving so hard and thrive in your present. What I mean is that if you make what you already have better, and polish what’s already good and working, you uplevel your life without expending that energy on something that doesn’t exist yet.

Yes, it’s about appreciating what’s already good and right in your world and in your business AND it’s about how you can make what’s already there fulfill you even more. It’s true that if you make the most of what you already have, you’ll get more and better of it with a lot less effort on your part.

3. Don’t plan so much

I’m all about having the big picture plan down to the day-to-day details, and yet I know that most of the time, the plan changes.

One of the reasons we – as business owners – plan so much is because it gives us a sense of control and it helps to alleviate the fears and doubts we have about knowing what we’re doing.

So have the plan and be willing to be flexible with it. Let it be a guide but not the only way. If you get wrapped up in THE PLAN you’ll actually hold yourself and your business back from being able to adapt quickly when things change – and they always do.

Assess if you spend more time planning than doing – and if you do, stop right now. And if you tend to fly by the seat of your pants more often than not, you might want a lightly-built framework around you to give you some sense of stability.

4. Get out of the striver’s club

Stop trying to acquire a better future with others who are striving. It’s just too exhausting. I’m not saying to surround yourself with lazy folks, but to get out of the overdrive club if you want to relax into a currently compelling present instead of an exhausting still ‘out there somewhere’ future.

5. Get off the ‘if/when’ rollercoaster

I admit this is a pet peeve of mine. Not from people who are decisive, but from people who use it as an excuse to not be happy now. When you make ‘if/when’ statements, you’re living in the future. Dreaming and visioning is one thing; otherwise it’s a holding pattern for you but even worse, you’re not enjoying where you’re at right now!

The first thing to do is to learn something about each one. Then you can decide which is the better choice.

Banks
Broadly speaking, a bank is a regulated financial institution that provides a wide range of money services to its customers. In the United States there are many different types of banks.

• Savings bank: Most consumers are familiar with savings banks, which can be local, regional, or national. They provide easily accessible services to a wide range of consumers. Most have a focus on retail banking, including personal savings accounts, checking accounts, and loans.

• Co-operative bank: A bank that is owned not by stockholders but by its members, who are also customers of the bank. Co-operative banks are often created by persons who have a common bond. Co-operative banks provide their members with the same banking services as savings and loan banks.

• Mutual bank: Like co-operative banks, mutual banks are owned not by shareholders but by their customers.

• Commercial bank: Refers to a bank or a division of a bank that mostly provides account services for large businesses and corporations. Owned by shareholders.

• Community banks: These are locally operated financial institutions whose employees can make local decisions to better serve their customers.

• Community development banks: These banks specialize in providing financial services and credit to under-served markets or populations.

• Private banks: These banks manage the assets of wealthy individuals. A private bank may have minimum deposit amount of $100,000.

• Offshore banks: Located in nations with low taxation and regulation, most offshore banks are similar to private banks.

Banks make money from fees they charge for their services and from interest they make on loans.

Credit unions
Unlike commercial banks, which are business enterprises designed to earn a profit like any other business, credit unions are non-profit membership organizations, owned by their members, and are governed by volunteer boards. The first credit union was opened in 1844 by a group of weavers in Rochdale, England. It resembled a modern-day buyer’s club. Shares were sold to members with the intention of raising funds to buy goods at wholesale prices. The goods were then sold to members at below retail prices.

Choosing a bank or credit union
Consumers may wonder what the differences are between having a savings or checking account at a CU and a bank. A key benchmark is interest rates: how much you will earn when you save, and how much you will pay when you borrow. According to the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), rates offered by credit unions are sometimes better than the rates offered by banks. This is because CU’s are not trying to operate at a profit.

Are credit union deposits insured?
Most people know that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) insures bank deposits up to $250,000 per depositor per bank. Most CU belong to the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF), which protects CU deposits up to $250,000. If you join a credit union, make sure it is a member of NCUSIF.

Joining a credit union
Unlike banks, the law places limits on who can join a CU. A credit union’s “field of membership” is defined by its charter. Eligible people could be employees of a company, members of a church, students at a school, or members of an ethnic group. Chances are good that if you are interested in joining a credit union, you’ll be able to find one that will accept you as a member.